Field Notes: The tangled web of wildlife management

It's hard to believe that there was a time when there were no whitetail deer in Ohio. Extirpated by 1911 by lack of both seasonal limits and restraint, the state's only big game animal was believed to be gone forever. Fortunately, the Division of Fish and Game — a forerunner of the current Division of Wildlife — wasn't ready to see it disappear. In 1922, wildlife officials began restocking wild deer from neighboring states at Shawnee State Forest; at the same time, those states also had deer jumping the border into Ohio. Those early implants and interlopers found the Buckeye State's multitude of scattered crop fields, edges and woodlots to be to their liking and began raising their young. With the hunting season for deer closed, wardens kept a lookout for poachers trying to kill any progress. By 1937, there were reports of whitetail sightings in every county. The deer herd was deemed stable enough for a short "buck-only" season in 1943. Ohio's first modern deer season was held in Adams, Pike and Scioto counties and resulted in 168 deer harvested. This didn't automatically mean that seasons would continue. In fact, there were no deer seasons at all in 1946, 1949, 1951 nor 1954. The first statewide hunt was destined to take place in 1956. While it's true that deer are a prolific and highly adaptive, they aren't without their Achilles' heels. Mark Kenyon, "Meateater's" whitetail guru ("Meateater" is a Netflix show and website; www.themeateater.com), points out that many states, including Ohio, have record numbers of deer roaming the countryside but explains that there are four "endangered" whitetail destinations. Southwestern Wisconsin has a reputation as a spot to take big bucks, and it's shown a propensity for producing a lot of them. It's also become ground zero for chronic wasting disease (CWD). Almost 1 in 3 deer brought in for testing are positive — in a voluntary testing program that may only be scrutinizing suspicious deer. "While CWD's large-scale impact on deer populations is no joke, an equally concerning risk is the impact that positive tests have on the desire to hunt and eat deer at all. While transmission from deer to humans hasn't been documented, it's theoretically possible — akin to what happened with Mad Cow Disease in the 1990s. For this reason, the CDC currently advises hunters not to consume venison from a CWD-positive deer," Kenyon wrote. "Because of the passive management approach taken by Wisconsin, CWD is endemic to five southwest counties, has spread to surrounding counties, and has been found in 38 of the state's 72 counties," said southwestern Wisconsin resident, hunter and land consultant Doug Duren. "In some areas in those counties where prevalence is being studied, over 50% of adult bucks and over 35% of adult does are CWD positive." Some hunters are choosing to go elsewhere, leaving a sick deer herd to continue to multiply. The area may be becoming a poster child of how not to handle CWD infected cervid populations or, at the least, a learning ground for other states' responses. The Northern Great Plains is another area of deep concern. It's home to a great deal of grassland habitat, which is not only good for whitetails, but also songbirds, upland game birds, small mammals and pollinators. "Grasslands, which are now considered one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world, are particularly vulnerable in the Northern Great Plains where prairie is being turned over and converted to cropland at a rapid rate. Farmers converted 600,000 acres in 2019, about 550,000 in 2018, and another 500,000 in 2017," Kenyon wrote. Thankfully, wildlife conservation organizations, advocates of decarbonization and state wildlife biologists recognize the value that grasslands provide and are engaged in ways to protect them. One of the most important steps will be found outlined in the 2023 Farm Bill. When passed, it is expected to include an update to the Conservation Reserve Program. The program compensates landowners for enrolling ground in specific conservation practices. The need is getting desperate, since nearly 20 million acres of enrolled properties have been lost since 2007. Nantahala and Pisgah national forests in North Carolina are losing whitetail deer, grouse and other critters at an alarming rate due to the continued maturing forests and lack of diversified habitat. Unfortunately, this has become a problem across the eastern states. It's hard to convince people that cutting trees or controlled burns are good land, forest and wildlife management tools when they've been preconditioned by a "plant a tree, let it grow and Smoky Bear" upbringing. "Deer populations are down all over the place on national forest land as an artifact of restricted active forest management, and research is just now showing what happens when plans for timber harvests or prescribed fire are shelved for too long," said National Deer Association Director of Conservation Matt Ross. According to Kenyon, "Increasingly, recreation-focused and environmentalist groups have fought to reduce or roadblock management practices on Forest Service lands, such as logging, which would in their view diminish the wilderness character of these landscapes or damage the ecosystem. While ostensibly well-meaning, these calls to protect the forest are in some cases sending wildlife populations into steep decline across wide swaths of the nation." Consider the Texas captive deer industry. Some consider this business the greatest threat to deer hunting in all of America. Texas has a long tradition of deer hunting in the state, and it's now home to a thriving captive cervid industry. Texas is home to more captive deer facilities than any other state, hosting 858 facilities. Captive deer have had a documented risk of spreading CWD outside their own herds and into bordering deer populations. There's also the possibility of transporting infected deer into uninfected areas, including across state lines. "The profit motive is so great, it is common for deer breeders to hide infections, or simply not test, and thus spread the disease," wrote Whit Fosborg, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. CWD isn't the only threat captive deer programs have on Texas deer hunting. "Second is the negative impact that captive deer shooting facilities, and the media created around them, can have on the public perception of hunting in America and the North American Model of Conservation," wrote Kenyon. Wildlife management has many facets — some are ecological, some social. Both can twist and intertwine, making the job challenging to accomplish and often difficult to sell to stakeholders and politicians. I doubt those things will change any time soon. "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult." — Lucius Annaeus Seneca Along the way The eighth annual Ohio Women's Outdoor Adventures Weekend, which will be held at Hueston Woods State Park and Lodge, will be Sept. 16-18. Hosted by ODNR divisions of Parks and Watercraft, Forestry and Wildlife, the event is a weekend program that introduces women to outdoor skills such as boating, fishing, hunting and nature programming. It is open to women 16 and older (minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian) and is tailored to beginners. This year's participants will be able to choose between a variety of outdoor activities and sessions including kayaking, disc golf, sailing, standup paddle boarding, fishing, Dutch oven cooking, hiking, gun basics and more. Participants will stay the weekend at the Hueston Woods State Park Lodge near Oxford. Guests will have access to the indoor and outdoor pools, restaurant and lounge, and a professional golf course. The cost is $350 per person, based on double occupancy, and includes lodging, five meals, a T-shirt, transportation between venues and evening activities. There are 95 spots open for this year's event. Registration opened for first-time participants on June 22 and opens for past participants on at noon on Monday. More details are available at https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/safety-conservation/about-odnr/division-parks-watercraft/explore-ohio-state-parks/owoa Step outside • Trails, bridges, stairs and boardwalks in Mohican State Park and Forest and Malabar Farm State Park sustained significant damage during recent storms. Many are impassable and must be closed until further notice. • Sunday: 3D Archery, mixed animal targets, Field and Stream Bowhunters, 11400 Township Road 109. Registration opens at 8 a.m. Contact Harold Spence at 419-423-9861. • Thursday and Friday: Trap and skeet, 5 p.m., UCOA, 6943 Township Road 243. • July 1-31: Ohio Controlled Hunt Application Period. Hunts are held on select areas around Ohio and are available through the Division of Wildlife and the Division of Parks and Watercraft. They will include deer, waterfowl, dove, pheasant, squirrel and quail. The Division of Wildlife offers hunts for adults, youths, mobility impaired and mentors with apprentices. All applicants, youth and adult, are required to possess a valid Ohio hunting license and meet age requirements. Youth hunters must be under 18 at the time of the hunt. Adults must be 18 or older at the time of the application. Those applying for deer hunts will also need a valid deer permit to apply. Find information at wildohio.gov on the "controlled hunts" page. Abrams is a retired wildlife officer supervisor for the state Division of Wildlife in Findlay. He can be reached at P.O. Box 413, Mount Blanchard, OH 45867-0413 or via email at jimsfieldnotes@aol.com